This is a basic yoga Mountain pose that holds the secret to improving your balance, confidence, and overall posture.
I will be honest and admit that when I was new to yoga, I would go through Mountain Pose in my online classes and scroll right past. It just looked like… standing. And that was a workout how? It took me a full ten minutes of deconstructing it by a teacher before I made a great discovery: I had been standing all my life in the wrong place.
My back pain and my balance, and even my walking into a room are all things that this simple position that I now do daily, have helped me to improve. It happens that the secret of a good yoga practice and good posture is not necessarily some convoluted contortion; it may be in the silent but consistent power of Tadasana, or Mountain Pose.
All the standing yoga postures are based on Mountain Pose. Although it appears to be a deceitfully easy posture, it is a very dynamic one in which actual change occurs on the inside. Through practicing to stand with deliberate action, you will be able to fix the imbalance of the body, develop a full-body consciousness, and develop a feeling of restful stability, which will take you way beyond the yoga mat. We will discuss how to learn this fundamental posture and open its unbelievable possibilities.
What is Mountain Pose (Tadasana)?
Tadasana (tah-DAHS-ah-nah) is comprised of the Sanskrit words tada (mountain) and asana (pose or seat) . It is also called in certain traditions Samasthiti which translates to equal standing, the balance and equilibrium we develop in the asana.
Mountain Pose is no passive holding posture and the map of all others standing in yoga. It teaches the basic concepts of alignment, equilibrium and the interaction of effort and ease. On the one hand, it is one senior teacher, and he claims that at first glance, Mountain Pose in yoga seems like a very easy exercise… But the muscles are in motion, and powerful, and laboring internally” . Now is the time to learn how to be steady (sthira) and comfortable (sukha)–a compromise that is the ultimate aim of all yoga asanas .
How to Practise Mountain Pose: A Step-by-step Guide.
This is how you can construct your Mountain Pose on the ground up. I would prefer to work with one or two of these cues at a time and build my awareness up over time through practice.
Foundational Stance:
Feet: Your big toes should be touching and your heels should be not too close to each other. This may be uncomfortable so place your legs a foot apart to make yourself more stable, particularly when you experience back pain or when pregnant.
Rooting Down: Imaginary your feet have roots in the earth. Squeeze at the four corners of each foot- the big toe being on the bottom, the bottom of the little toe being on the bottom, the inner and outer heels being on the bottom. Lift and drop off your toes and then easily pop them back down to use your foot muscles.
legs and knees: Use your quadriceps (thigh muscles) to lift up your kneecaps slowly. Do not lock your knees, with them expect a slight, gentle micro-bend, to avoid hyperextension.
Upper Body Alignment:
Pelvis and Core: Keep your pelvis in a natural state where the lower back is in its natural curve. The temptation to pull up your tailbone is something best to avoid as this flattens the lumbar spine. To activate your core muscles, pull your belly button to the spine carefully.
Spine and Chest: Lengthen your spine, you are getting longer with every breath. Flatten over your collarbones and fold your shoulder blades very lightly back and over your back, towards your ears. This is opening up the chest of the man.
Arms and Head: Place your arms in a natural position, i.e. palm inwards or facing forward. Rest your chin on the floor alongside with stretching at the back of the neck. Look forward directly with a diffuse gaze.
Breath and Hold:
Breath slowly, deeply, as you can feel the ribcage swell. Maintain the posture between 5-10 breathing, or one minute.
The following is a rough guide to help you ensure you are in the right position, head to toe:
Body Part Alignment Cue
Feet Big toes in contact, heels part slightly or hip-width to be steady. Poke around like a mole.
Legs Knees bent slightly with quadriceps and kneecaps up.
Pelvis & Core Neutral pelvis (natural low back curve), core slightly active.
Spine & Chest Spine long, chest wide, shoulders losing their tension.
Arms & Head Arms loosely positioned, palms towards floor, or even in front of it, chin at right angles to the floor.
The Transformative Advantages of Being Tall.
Do not take its simplicity. It is a great list of body and mind benefits associated with a regular practice of Mountain Pose.
Physical Benefits:
Enhances Posture: This is the large one. Tadasana stands in direct opposition to the stooped posture that we have created over hours sitting at the computer or checking our phones. It conditions your body to pose stacked, straight, with your ears above your shoulders, ribs above your hips and hips above your ankles.
Develops Full-Body Strength: You are using your feet, ankles, legs, glutes, core and back muscles to stand the pose. This enhances the general neuromuscular coordination.
Improves Balance: Mountain Pose dramatically improves your sense of balance and poise, which forms the basis of more complicated poses, as you learn to evenly distribute your weight.
Develops Body Awareness: You can more easily tell when there are imbalances and where there is tension in a plain, stationary posture. This higher level of awareness will prevent your injury on the mat and off-the-mat.
Mental and Emotional Gifts:
To improve Confidence: It is just a matter of standing straight with an open chest and this can affect your mind. This crouched position as one scholar points out is a reversal of a defeated and crouched posture both physically and mentally.
Develops Calm and Concentration: The pose demands that you be mind and body centered which is meditative and centering. This can contribute to eliminate stress and enhance your concentration.
Meditates Body and Mind: Mountain Pose is an ideal vessel to make contact with yourself. The best course of action according to one of the most popular instructors is to enhance the quality of your life by infusing the body with awareness.
Intelligent Customisations to Every Body.
Yoga is an all purpose practice, and Mountain Pose is not an exception. These are some of the simplest methods to make the pose comfortable to you.
To have a better balance: practice leaning against the wall. Your heels, buttock and shoulder blades must be in slight contact with the wall with the back of your head being near but not necessarily flat. This gives you a lot of sensory input on your alignment.
In a Seated Version: When you are unable to stand, you may learn to perform Tadasana on a chair. Sit straight with your feet on the floor, and below your knees. Extend your spine and squeeze your shoulders together, to imitate the position of the upper-body in the upright version.
To Stretch muscles: Have a block between your thighs inside and squeeze it. This makes your adductors (inner thighs) work, and keeps your legs active. In the case of your outer hips, you may loop a yoga strap around your shins, and press out against it.
Popular Things that Go wrong and How to make it right.
Even seasoned professionals also may fall into such habits. Here’s what to watch for:
Locking Your Knees: This is a joint straining position. Fix it: Keep that small micro-bend in your knees.
Shrugging Shoulders: Tension is fond of dwelling in our shoulders. Fix it: Pull your shoulder blades together, down your back, as though you were sliding them into your back pockets.
Tucking Your Tailbone: Tucking your tailbone creates an unnatural curve to the spine. Fix it: Strive to have a neutral pelvis, i.e. have your pubic bone and front hip bones aligned vertically.
Lopsidedness in weight: Most of us tend to lean or roll to one side or roll off in the outer edges of our feet. Fix It: Rock side to side, and back and forth, then locate a still position where your weight is evenly distributed between both feet.
Frequently Asked Question (FAQs)
What duration of the Mountain Pose?
Mountain Pose may be maintained between 5-10 deep breaths, or a minute, or up to a minute at a time. You need not grasp it much longer than it is comfortable. The point is quality of alignment not time.
What would happen when I am dizzy or lightheaded in the pose?
When you experience dizziness, low blood pressure or prone to headaches, then it is better to come out of the pose. You may vary keeping your eyes open or the seated variant in a chair. Always listen to your body.
Should my feet remain together or be hip wide?
Both are correct! The more difficult feet together is also the traditional and more difficult to balance. Hip-width feet: a more stable position that is a wonderful adjustment during pregnancy, tightness of the back or balance problems. Select what is stable and comfortable to your body.
Why is Tadasana any different than standing around?
This was my biggest “aha!” moment. Common standing is frequently inactive and bent over. Tadasana is a dynamic pose in which you are actively involving muscles in the feet up to the head. It is the difference between sitting back on a couch and sitting attentively in supported position.
Does Mountain Pose actually do anything to help back pain?
Yes. Mountain Pose, by working to strengthen the core, legs, and back muscles; encourage healthy spinal positioning, may become an effective intervention in the prevention and treatment of non-specific back pain related to poor posture, as well.
Mountain Pose has made me understand that the greatest transformations are sometimes initiated by the simplest ground. It is not only a pose, but it is a practice that includes standing firm, deep breathing and bringing a sense of grounded confidence into every bit of your life. The next time you unroll your mat do not go through your Mountain Pose in a hurry. Stand in it. Feel it. Make it change you to the ground.